Alone
by Nutella Swirl
Summary: He's hated; not wanted by his family. He runs away, not planning to come back. His family wants him. Will they get him, or will he be gone forever?
1. Hated

**I do not own TMNT.**

* * *

"MIKEY!" Raph yelled from his room. Mikey giggled and quickly ran and hid behind the couch. He couldn't wait to see how Raph looked like after Mikey had pulled his prank.

Raph came into the living room, dripping with hot pink paint and sprinkles of silver glitter. "MIKEY! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! YOU AREN'T GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

Mikey couldn't stand it any longer and came out of his hiding spot. "Dude, you look, like, so much better now," he said between laughs.

Raph growled. "I'm gonna crush you," he said, chasing Mikey.

"AHHH!" Mikey screamed, running away. "LEO, HELP!"

Leo came just then. He tackled Raph. "What's this? Pink paint and glitter?" he asked, trying to stifle his laughter, but he failed.

Raph stood up, not looking for very happy. "Mikey decided to play ANOTHER prank on me. I opened the door, and a bucket of paint and glitter sloshed all over me! That bonehead is not getting away with this," he grumbled.

"Come on, Raph, aren't you going a little hard on him? Anyway, it isn't your first time being covered with paint," Leo said, remembering the time Mikey had painted Raph red in his sleep.

"So what? _I still hate him_!" Raph said.

Leo and Raph continued to argue as Mikey slipped out of the room. Was it true? Did Raph, his hero, really hate him?

Mikey went to his room, thinking about all the pranks he had played on Raph. Of course, anyone would get angry when they woke up and opened the door only to find themselves covered with paint and glitter. But did Raph really hate him?

What about the others? Did everyone else hate him for playing pranks on them, too?

Mikey could feel the tears on his cheeks. They hated him. They all did.

And that's when Mikey made his final decision: he was going to run away.


	2. Running Away

Mikey flipped through his journal. He cringed at all the times he had written about Raph. He had like him then, but not anymore.

He jotted down another entry on the last page of the journal:

_Today, I pranked Raph. I tied a bucket of hot pink paint and glitter over his door so when he opened it, he'd be pink and sparkly from head to toe! It worked! I couldn't stop laughing. He tried to chase me, but Leo tackled him. Then they started fighting. Then Raph said he hated me. I think they all hate me now, for the pranks I did to them. I'm running away. I can't live with a family that hates me._

Mikey felt a tear dripping down his cheek but he ignored it. He left the journal open on his bed before packing.

Mikey then packed all the things he needed in a duffel bag: extra nunchakus, a sleeping bag, a bottle of water, comic books, disguises, a new journal, a pen, and of course, pizza. He had decided to bring his T-phone, too, only after he deactivated the tracking device. He didn't wants his brothers coming after him, especially if they hated him. The T-Phone also had a map, which would be helpful in finding somewhere to stay.

Then came the hard part: sneaking out. Leo and Raph were still arguing in the living room, which was near the lair entrance, so he couldn't leave now. He didn't want to face anyone, especially not Raph...

Mikey shook his head. He didn't want to remember Raph. He didn't want to remember any of them, after what they had done.

He heard the fighting cease as Leo and Raph headed up to their rooms. They weren't done fighting; they were just ignoring each other for a while.

Now was his chance! Mikey grabbed his bag and quickly but quietly slipped through the lair entrance, thanks to his ninja skills. Then he put on a disguise, went to the next manhole cover and went topside. He ducked into an dark alley so he wouldn't be spotted easily.

Mikey checked his T-phone, looking for places he could go to.

A new sewer? Nah, he had already live in a sewer. Anyway, they were hard to set up, especially without genius Donnie's help.

An abandoned farm? That would be nice. It had lots of room, no animals lived there and- nevermind, rats had invaded it and made it their home!

A forest? Yes! That was it! Mikey figured there would be fruit trees there, which would give him food. He had never been a fan of fruits, but oh well. He needed to stop eating pizza so much, anyway. Forests had animals too, which could keep him company. Mikey could befriend any animal in less than 5 minutes.

Mikey was about to go on to find the forest when something hit his head. Darkness took over him as he fell unconscious in the small alley.


	3. Mikey's Gone

Mikey woke up and found himself on a bed. He was in a room with many windows and a tall ceiling. There was a red symbol on the door across from him. Mikey frowned. He was sure he had seen that symbol before, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it or what it meant. Maybe it was just déjà vu.

A tall man with a silver helmet entered the room. He was wearing heavy armor. On the ends of his hands were metal gloves with two sharp blades.

A ninja wearing a black suit that had the red symbol Mikey had seen earlier bowed to the man with armor. "Master, he has awoken," he said.

"I see," the man with armor replied. Then, looking at Mikey, he said, "Do you know who I am, Michelangelo?"

Mikey shook his head. He had this feeling he had met them all before, but he couldn't remember who their names were or if they were good or bad.

The man said, "I am Oroku Saki, leader of the Foot. We fight to eliminate our enemies, who work for the bad. We, on the other hand, work for the good." He paused. "Would you like to work for us?"

Mikey didn't say anything. He didn't know if he could trust this man who claimed to be Oroku Saki and who said he worked for good. Was he lying or telling the truth?

"If you do not agree, I will finish you right now," Oroku Saki threatened. He raised his right hand, showing off the sharp, pointy blades.

Mikey gulped. "I- I guess I'll work for you," he said quickly.

Oroku Saki brought his hand down and Mikey relaxed visibly. "Then we shall start your training," he said. "Follow me."

Mikey obeyed and followed Oroku Saki out of the room.

Little did he know that he was going with the Shredder, his most hated enemy. The only reason he couldn't remember anything about the Foot was because he had been brainwashed to forget about them when he was out.

* * *

_Meanwhile, at the lair..._

"I guess you're right, Leo. I was going on hard on him, and I didn't mean that I hated him," Raph had finally admitted.

"Then go apologize before it's too late," Leo said.

Raph knocked on the door to Mikey's room. "Mikey?" he said softly.

There was no answer, not even after Raph had knocked on the door five times.

Raph opened the door which was surprisingly unlocked. "Mikey, I-"

He stopped. Mikey's room was messy, as usual, but there was one thing missing: Mikey wasn't in there!

Raph was about to leave to see if Mikey was in the kitchen or living room when he noticed the journal laying open on Mikey's bed. "Well, if Mikey's not here, I can read it," Raph though to himself as he read the last page Mikey had written on.

Raph read through it calmly until he read the last few sentences:

_Then Raph said he hated me. I think they all hate me now, for the pranks I did to them. I'm running away. I can't live with a family that hates me. _

Raph felt his hands shaking. "What? No, Mikey I- I didn't mean it!" he said, although no one was listening.

Leo entered the room. He hadn't heard Mikey talking at all. He spotted Raph reading Mikey's journal. "Raph, what are you-"

"Leo, he- he thinks we all hate him! He ran away!" Raph exclaimed, showing Leo the journal entry.

Leo read it, his face turning white. "Get Don. I'll tell Master Splinter. We are getting Mikey back."


	4. Talking

"WHAT!?" Donnie exclaimed, dropping some papers he had been holding and reading.

"Donnie- I- we- let's just go find 'im, 'kay?" Raph said. He had just told Donnie what had happened, and so far, it wasn't going well.

"I'll try to track him. Let's see..." Raph let Donnie work as he typed the computer passwords to see where Mikey was.

"An error? What? I made sure nothing could go wrong with this, unless-" Donnie stopped.

"Unless what?" Raph asked.

"Unless he disabled the tracking device," Donnie said, slumping in his chair. "Now it will take _forever_ to find him! Look what you did, Raph! What if we _never_ find him?!"

Raph was filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, Donnie," he said quietly, leaving the room. He had never meant for things to go this way. He thought Mikey would understand he hadn't meant it. But instead, he had just made him run away. He could be anywhere, as far as Raph knew. They always underestimated him. If Mikey knew how to disable the tracking device on his T-phone, he probably knew many more things, too.

"I really messed this up," Raph muttered to himself. He was a bad brother. A very, very, bad brother.

* * *

Leo knocked on the door to Master Splinter's room. "Master Splinter?"

"Come in, Leonardo," came the reply.

Splinter studied his eldest son. He had never seen him looking so troubled. "What is it, my son?" he asked.

Leo fidgeted a little. "Well, Mikey played a prank on Raph. It was a big prank, so he got really angry. I told him that he was going to hard on Mikey and to clam down, but Raph didn't listen. He ended up saying that he hated Mikey, but he didn't actually mean it. Mikey heard it, though, and he got upset. Father, he- he ran away," Leo said, looking down. He showed Splinter the journal.

"I'm sorry, Father. I should have gone after Mikey instead of still fighting with Raph," Leo said, ashamed and guilty.

"Leonardo, look at me," Splinter said. Leo obeyed. "It is not your fault. We cannot change what has been done, but we can change what we will do. We will go after Michelangelo."

"Yes, Sensei," Leo answered. "Should we go now? Don has probably tracked down Mikey using the tracking device on his T-phone."

"We should pack first. We do not know what state Michelangelo will be in when we find him," Splinter said. Then he and Leo packed a first aid kit, some food, blankets, water, and other things before they went to see Donnie and Raph.

"Donatello, have you found Michelangelo?" Splinter asked.

"No, he disabled the tracking device on his T-phone, so he could be anywhere, as far as I know," Donnie said dejectedly.

"We can still search for him," Splinter said. Noticing that no one else was there, he asked, "Where is Raphael?"

"In his room, I guess," Donnie said. He got up from the chair and said, "I think I made him upset. I'd better talk to him."

"Alright, my son. Tell him we will be searching for Michelangelo now," Splinter said.

Donnie nodded and talked to Raph. When they came out of Raph's room, Donnie seemed a little more relaxed and so did Raph.

"I see your talk has went fine," Splinter said. Raph nodded. "Then we shall go," he said.

Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Donnie left the lair and went topside to look for Mikey. The possibility of him being with the Shredder never entered their minds, even though that was who he was with right now.


	5. Come Back, Mikey

Hours soon turned to days, which turned to weeks. Mikey had not been found yet, even though it had been two weeks since he left.

"We've searched the whole thing of New York City but we haven't found him yet!" Don said, exasperated.

"He must be in trouble," Leo said quietly.

Raph and Donnie looked at their eldest brother expectantly. "How do ya know?" Raph asked, but he already knew.

"Mikey would never leave this long, and he's not answering our phone calls or text messages," Leo explained. None of them knew that Shredder had broken Mikey's T-phone the second he saw it.

"I know, but where would he go?" Donnie asked.

"I don't know," Leo admitted.

"I wish he'd come back already," Raph mumbled under his breath. They really needed Mikey. He was the one who made sure Don slept. He was the one who could make Leo take a break from his training. He was the one who could stop Master Splinter from meditating too much. He was the one who'd calm down Raph when he got angry.

And most importantly, he was Mikey, their little innocent brother.

* * *

Mikey was training with some Foot ninjas to become a better ninja. His memories of Oroku Saki and the Foot clan had come back to him after he had heard someone say, "Yes, Master Shredder." But Mikey was forced to stay and work for the Foot. If he didn't, Shredder would raise his bladed hands and say, "Would you like me to finish you?"

Mikey missed his brothers and father. He wondered if they still hated them. He didn't think they did, although a tiny part of him said they did. Mikey didn't listen to that tiny voice, though. He didn't want to bring his hopes up.

Mikey's stay with the Foot had changed him a lot. The sparkle in his eye had disappeared. His once bright, baby blue eyes were now dark and dull. All the liveliness and humor had escaped from him. He was no longer Mikey who had fought for good and saving peoples' lives. He was now Michelangelo, the cold-hearted mutant turtle who fought to destroy.


	6. Found

Many months had passed after Mikey had left. The three remaining turtles were beginning to grow apart from each other. They needed Mikey. He was the glue that kept them together.

Mikey also missed his family. He began to believe that they missed him and wanted him back. He tried to go multiple times, but he failed. Shredder always found him and punished him.

Mikey began to believe that there was no way he could get back to his family. "I miss you guys... I love you all..." he whispered unknowingly as he gazed as the stars outside the window. He wished he could go back to the lair; however, all the windows in the Foot headquarters were too strong to break without a powerful saw or something like that.

Shredder entered the room. "Michelangelo."

Mikey immediately kneeled down. "Yes, Master Shredder?"

"I have a mission for you. Go to the roof top of the first building on 7th street. Attack the person you see there. He is bad; he always ruins my plans," Shredder said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Shredder," Mikey said. He bowed down to Shredder before leaving.

* * *

Mikey had went on many missions; he figured this one wouldn't be difficult. He hated fighting, though. Injuring innocent people was something he would never do, but Shredder forced him to.

He stared at the stars that twinkled in the night sky. "I wish to see my family again," Mikey whispered. The stars grew brighter. Mikey wasn't sure if that meant his wish would come true, but he hoped so.

* * *

"I'll go find 'im myself if you guys aren't comin'," Raph said angrily. He left the lair, leaving Leo, Don, and Master Splinter alone.

He jumped over the roofs on 7th street. "I wish I find 'im tonight," he said to himself as he leaped onto the next building.

There was somebody there. Raph couldn't make out who, but the person looked ready to attack him.

Raph took out his sais. "Bring it on!"

The other person took out some weapons - nunchakus, Raph recognized, only making him remember Mikey more - as they began to fight.

"Nice toothpicks. Too bad they're not a match for my nunchucks!" the other person said as they fought.

Raph dodged many kicks and punches until he grew angry. He hadn't even done anything except for leaping onto the roof of this building, and then this random person started attacking him! Raph suddenly knocked his attacker off his feet and pinned him down. He held his sai dangerously close to the attacker's neck.

Moonlight shone on their faces, letting Raph see who his attacker was.

He gasped. "Mikey?"

Mikey had also seen the other person's face. "Raph?"

Before they knew it, they were hugging. "I missed ya, Mikey."

"Me too," Mikey said as tears leaked down his cheeks. "I love you Raph! I love you all!"

"Me too, Mike. I always love ya," Raph said.

"Even when you hate me?"

Raph chuckled. "Even when I hate ya."


	7. Back to Normal

The Hamato family had been overjoyed when they found out Mikey was back. They let him rest and tended to some minor injuries he got, but after that came the lectures and questions.

"Why did you leave?"

"Why didn't ya just talk ta us?"

"You could have gotten into really bad trouble!"

"Ya could have gotten more hurt!"

"Don't you ever do that again!"

"Woah, woah, one at a time!" Mikey exclaimed. He was his normal, silly self again, having being brought home and seeing his family again. But he still hated the way his family would all talk at once whenever he did something wrong.

"Oops, sorry Mikey," Leo said. "We really want to know why you ran away and what happened."

"Well, it went like this," Mikey said as he explained what happened. His brothers turned pale when they found out he had been forced to work for Shredder, and smiled when he got to the part when Raph had found him.

"We really love ya bro, ya know that?" Raph said gently.

Mikey nodded. "I'm sorry for leaving guys. I- I promise I won't do it again!"

Everyone smiled. "Now, let's have a party to celebrate!" Donnie said.

"That is a good idea, my sons," Master Splinter said.

The house was decorated with balloons, streamers, and confetti. Mikey made a cake and decorated it with orange icing. He even used different colors to draw four masks, the same colors as he and his brothers' own masks.

Master Splinter smiled, seeing his sons happy and all together as they cut the cake and ate it. It was good to have Michelangelo back.

* * *

**A/N: Soo that's the end! I want to thank everyone for reading this and for reviewing! I couldn't have finished this story without you all!**


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